Double Bass Is your bass exposed to at least 50% moisture?

[Karl Beck]

It is amazing to me even in today's age where you will see so many carved instruments with cracks that could have been prevented with the correct moisture in a room. A small humidifier ( air drawn, not steam !! ) in a room where your bass is stored ( if you have a plywood bass I would not worry about it ) set at least 50% to 65%, will keep her right where she needs to be, and it also creates good air quality for your dry nose in the winter...

 

[owen_liam]

Or you could move to the UK where the humidity never drops below 212%...

 

[rythman6969]

or new jersey 9 months out of the year . only in the cold winter is it less than sticky.

 

[SplitNick]

Or Alabama. Seems to be the only place where it can be 100% humidity with not a drop of rain.

 

[arnoldschnitzer]

It is amazing to me even in today's age where you will see so many carved instruments with cracks that could have been prevented with the correct moisture in a room. A small humidifier ( air drawn, not steam !! ) in a room where your bass is stored ( if you have a plywood bass I would not worry about it ) set at least 50% to 65%, will keep her right where she needs to be, and it also creates good air quality for your dry nose in the winter...

This is overly simple and not-so-good advice. This subject has been covered extensively on this forum. If a player keeps his bass in a 50-65% environment in the cold, dry winter (or in the desert), then takes it out into the real world, that bass is subject to shrinkage and cracking. It is commonly accepted that winter humidification should be in the 35-45% range. The biggest threat to a nice bass is the rapid change of environment.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Or Alabama. Seems to be the only place where it can be 100% humidity with not a drop of rain.

You obviously haven`t been to Memphis

I swear, the only time it feels like there`s no humidity is immediately after it rains. But once the sun gets back out and the water starts evaporating.... Nothing says summer like 101 degree weather and 95% humidity.

 

[Rockman]

You obviously haven`t been to Memphis

I swear, the only time it feels like there`s no humidity is immediately after it rains. But once the sun gets back out and the water starts evaporating.... Nothing says summer like 101 degree weather and 95% humidity.

Yeaaah, Western Tennessee has some of the most oppressive weather I have ever experienced.

 

[Cody Sisk]

The Taylor Guitar Factory maintains a strict 47% humidity. This seems to be the ideal median humidity that they start with before shipping guitars all over the country to face various climate differences.

65% is excessive. I try and keep my shop at 45-50%, but the areas where our new instruments are displayed are a bit less than that.

 

[MIKMAN]

When i lived in Bedford UK, 25 years ago, doing my master's degree in Cranfield Institute of Technology, i never bothered to put my cigars in a humidifier. Humidity never dropped lower than 70% so they were preserved perfectly. In addition the humidity caused my hair to be always curly!!!
This cigars' paradise though was not so good for my carved bass, since it was sounding a bit choked. That was the reason i sold it and i bought a used laminate, rather unaffectable by the humidity and perfect for outdoors gigs.
Ahh, good ole times...
Now in Greece i always use my humidifier indoors, keeping humidity around 45%. As for my hair, well, i don't mind since in my fifties i'm almost bald!!!
Mike

 

[SplitNick]

You obviously haven`t been to Memphis

I swear, the only time it feels like there`s no humidity is immediately after it rains. But once the sun gets back out and the water starts evaporating.... Nothing says summer like 101 degree weather and 95% humidity.

I am only about two or three hours from Memphis. We probably share a lot of weather related oppressions. Isn't it wonderful to live in the south in the summer and always feel like a damp, dirty dishrag.

 

[wdnewman]

There are two cities in the United States where humidity is off the charts.
Number one is Houston.
Number two is New Orleans.
If you haven't spent a summer in either one of those cities, I don't want to hear your comments about humidity.
You guys in Memphis and Huntsville, etc., have it dry and cool in comparison.

 

[waidonchasaisew]

I think we got too much humidity in Hawaii. Pickups rust out if you leave bass in the open even with windows closed. i learned my lesson with my first/beginner bass.
so my new bass has plastic covers (Epiphone t-bird pro humbuckers)

 

[Karl Beck]

To arnoldschnitzer.... I don't agree with you entirely. however it really depends on the environment on the outside, if you live in the desert 0% and you keep your instrument at 60% then yes that would be a problem, but I wasn't talking about drastic climates, but a good point non the less

 

[Don Higdon]

Or Alabama.

As in Higdon, Alabama, up on Sand Mountain.

 

[Dr Rod]

boy, poor Stradivarius and Amati, they certainly didn't have humidity control, proper heating, insulation, good windows, or proper instrument cases....


guess what, their instruments did just fine for hundreds of years.

Sure, they had the odd crack just like any other instrument, but considering the fact that we have had all of these luxuries only for the last 100 years (I am being generous), could we be making too much of this?

 

[fdeck]

boy, poor Stradivarius and Amati, they certainly didn't have humidity control, proper heating, insulation, good windows, or proper instrument cases....


guess what, their instruments did just fine for hundreds of years.

Sure, they had the odd crack just like any other instrument, but considering the fact that we have had all of these luxuries only for the last 100 years (I am being generous), could we be making too much of this?

Poor Stradivarius didn't make basses. Don't know about Amati. Cracks may be more of an issue on bigger instruments. My cello has several repaired cracks on the belly, and a new one that I am watching closely.

I'd rather not have my bass crack, all other things equal, and I'd like to know what I can do within the range of reasonable measures to reduce the likelihood.

 

[drurb]

I'd rather not have my bass crack, all other things equal, and I'd like to know what I can do within the range of reasonable measures to reduce the likelihood.

Precisely-- thoughtful as usual. They also didn't have vaccines back then. That's no argument to go without 'em.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

The also didn't have forced air heating.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

And they didn't have sub-zero winters.

 

[Square Bear]

The also didn't have forced air heating.

just what i was thinking. it's A/C and central heat that really dry out the air more than anything. you have a better shot at keeping your bass from cracking if you control the humidity of the place you keep it, it's pretty simple.

dr rod: here's another way of thinking of it - stradivarius and amati were among the greatest instrument makers of their time. they probably didn't want their instruments to break. if they were around today, it's a pretty good bet they would control the humidity in their shops. actually they wouldn't really have to in italy's relatively temperate climate (nothing like new england winter), but that's besides the point. great instrument makers of our time use humidity control. we all got by without cell phones in the 80's and cars in the 1800's. bet you're using those too.